LOCALIZING MOBILE APPS - FIVE KEY LEARNINGS

With recent mobile apps we helped localize, some aspects recur that we want to share with you.

)1) Think mobile. The apps you use most, how much text do they have, which kind of “language” do they use? Are the text elements formal or casual, elaborate or concise? Many languages use a lot more space than English. Keep that in mind.

2) Be ready from the beginning. Build your app localization-ready, make sure already your first language is pulled from a resource file that is properly documented. That’s a small step in the beginning that will save you lots of work later, when switching might turn out a headache.

3) Think about which non-text aspects of your app might need localization. Do you use symbols and colors for more than just decoration? If they are essential to your app - or even brand - it is important that they be checked if they work in other cultural contexts. We have an infographic for that.

4) Expand to familiar markets first. If you’re in North America, Spanish and French are your logical next languages. If you’re in Europe, pick the most active promising markets for your app, but consider reaching most of the continent rather soon. Competitors might try to cover markets you have left out with copycats in local languages.

5) Localize your website while you’re localizing your app. Don’t offer your website in languages that your product is not servicing or vice versa. If that means more text volume, lingohub scales with you the way you need it to. Keep in mind you might have to offer customer service in languages you offer your product in.

Bonus - 6) Don’t limit yourself. Have a strategy to go cross-platform the minute you are ready to sell to customers. Whether you’re building an iOS app, a web application, an Android app, Windows 8 or for FirefoxOS - lingohub is ready for that, are you? Consider preparing for different platforms in the early stages of your development, that will save you lots of issues.

Ready to roll out your mobile app to more countries? Talk to us about how you can harness our special lingohub powers to get your software globalized. lingohub delivers hassle-free integration into your development process, you’re going to love it - and we love mobile! Use lingohub today, and we’ll help you from the beginning, to get your app out into the world.